1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a sensor-equipped wheel support bearing assembly which may include a load sensor to determine a load that acts on a bearing structure for rotatably supporting a wheel.
2. Description of Related Art
As a technology to determine a load that acts on a given wheel of an automotive vehicle, a sensor equipped wheel support bearing assembly has been proposed in which an annular sensor assembly may be fitted through a sealing member to a peripheral surface of one of outer and inner members working as a stationary member in a fashion coaxial with the stationary member, with the sensor assembly including electronics complex of electronic components disposed inwardly of an annular protective covering (see, for example, the Patent Document 1 listed below). A developed view of FIG. 85 illustrates such an electronics complex. The illustrated electronics complex may include four sensor units 150 for load determination, each having a strain generating member 151 fixed to a peripheral surface of the stationary member, in contact therewith and a sensor 152 fitted to the strain generating member 151 for detecting a strain induced in the strain generating member 151, a signal processing IC 155 for processing an output signal from the sensor 152, and a signal cable 156 for transmitting the output signal so processed to the outside of the bearing assembly.
As another technique, the aforementioned sensor equipped wheel support bearing assembly may be modified to include an electronics complex which is illustrated in a developed view of FIG. 86A and a longitudinal cross sectional view of FIG. 86B. More specifically, an electronics complex as illustrated in FIG. 85 may be modified to further include a flexible substrate 165 having a wiring circuit that wires among the sensor units 150, the signal processing IC 155 and the signal cable 156 (see, for example, the Patent Document 2 listed below).